TICKETS for the first concerts at Birmingham Town Hall in more than a decade are to go on sale next week.

The special Re-opening Festival shows, which start in October, follow the recent completion of a massive #35 million renovation.

The Grade l listed building, which closed in 1996 following concerns over its safety, has been restored to its original 1834 glory with a capacity of 1,100.

Tickets for the two-week festival, which runs from October 4-21, go on sale at 10am on Wednesday, June 6.

Headline events include Brum Rocks Extra for The Children's - a concert in aid of Birmingham Children's Hospital Red Balloon Appeal - which features Robert Plant, Bev Bevan and John Lodge.

Other performers include The Guillemots, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch.

The Re-opening concert sees an outstanding line-up of local and national musicians performing Quincy Jones's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, including Birmingham gospel singer Ruby Turner and the BBC Big Band.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Abida Parveen also pay tribute to the 10th anniversary of the death of the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who played numerous concerts at the Town Hall.

Andrew Jowett, director of the Town Hall and Symphony Hall, said the announcement of the festival brought them ever closer to re-opening "this cherished building".